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Friday, May 11, 2012

Sepia Saturday: Grandma's Kitchen

Sepia Saturday challenges bloggers to share family history through old photographs.

This week’s Sepia Saturday prompt made me think of kitchens.No kitchen holds as many memories as my Grandma Lucille Rucker Davis’s kitchen.It was a small box, 12’x12’ if that.Along one outside wall was the only set of cabinets made of white metal which shared space with a stove and sink under a window.

The opposite wall held a small refrigerator which fit into an alcove under the stairs.In the middle of the room were a grey-white enamel kitchen table and 4 chairs with black vinyl seats.A metal appliance cart in the corner held an electric frying pan and a few choice baking dishes.But that was it.Today’s homeowner wants COUNTERSPACE.There was none to speak of in Grandma’s kitchen.She did her prep work on that table.

And Grandma did the cooking EVERY Sunday.EVERY Thanksgiving.EVERY Christmas. And whenever she felt like it. I inherited some of my grandmother’s dishes but not her ability to bang out a meal on demand.Whenever I reach for my grandmother’s Jewel Tea Autumn Leaf bowl, I am instantly taken back to her kitchen.

I can hear the cacophony of pots and pans as Grandma dug through the cramped lower cabinets, pots stacked precariously toppling over, lids crashing onto the floor, baking sheets and muffin tins being reassigned a new spot with every bang of a pan.(Today when my sister or I get a little noisy in the kitchen, we say, “Look out, Lucille!”)

I can still see the steam glistening on the glossy white walls.At times they seemed to actually sweat with the frenzy of meal preparation.

I can smell the aroma of tomatoes and green peppers in the Swiss steak bubbling away in the skillet.

Crammed somewhere in the little refrigerator would be a dish of Jello salad. Grandma thought no meal was complete without Jello.

Grandma's recipe for Swiss Steak written in her
distinctive back-slant and her Jell-o cookbook

The yellow Pyrex dish was perfect for Grandma’s potato salad then.It’s perfect for her potato salad now.(And because of Grandma’s recipe, we’re potato salad snobs.You won’t see us picking up potato salad at Sam’s Club to take to a covered-dish event.)

Grandma’s kitchen was a small room, but in it she created some big memorable dishes.

40 comments:

What great memories! I love the picture--and what you wrote on the back. :)

I have lots of great memories of my grandma's kitchen as well. I find myself writing about them often since her death nearly three years ago. I had some of the best times of my young life at Grandma's house and in her tiny kitchen. Thanks for bringing back those memories. :)

My grandmother's kitchen had a Rayburn (a poorer version of an Aga) which was lit all year round as it also heated the water. She also had a conventional cooker. There was a knack to cooking with the Rayburn but her cakes were delicious.

My husband always talks about how his grandmother cooked on a wood stove and how delicious her cakes and rolls were. By the time I got into the family, she was no longer able to cook because of her severe arthritis.

I don't remember my grandmas or their houses; the kitchen in the house where I was born is a different matter - that I remember vividly as it had the warm black-leaded grate which never went out as it provided our hot water - but only a gallon at a time.

Wendy, this is so great. I can just imagine being at your Grandma's for dinner. Thanks for triggering the memories of my own grandmothers kitchens too ... Grandma J. had one (though she redesigned it later on) and taught me so much in there. Grandma T. had three and I mainly remember home-canned peaches, fruit salad and Brussels sprouts.

Grandma was an amazing cook. I STILL miss her fried chicken, chicken gravy, steaming hot rolls! I can remember her rule for not opening the folding door between the kitchen and dining room while the chicken was frying! Her hair was always "busted" when she finished, but what a meal!

My favorite time in her kitchen is when she would steam the crabs caught at St. Julian's creek.

Oh what a delightful post. Funny thing for me, even though my grandma has been gone for too long now, her kitchen is still my favorite. I can be somewhere and catch a scent that takes me right back to her kitchen and her cooking! Thanks!

I know what you mean, Karen. I was at a friend's house a few weeks ago and she served a dessert that my Grandmother used to make a lot. It's been years since I've had that dessert. I don't know what was better -- the dessert or the memories that came with it.

Ah yes, the happy days in Grandma's kitchen... I'm sure your grandmother loved having you there with her. Cooks of that generation had to be excellent space and equipment managers - my grandmother cooked for a whole farm crew, three meals a day during threshing season in a space about this same size. Lookng back, I regard this as a minor miracle.

Enjoyed your post - it brought back memories of both of my grandmothers. My maternal grandmother spoiled us with her homemade macaroni and cheese - we don't settle for the Kraft blue box. My children have never had the Kraft version. :) I like your grandmother's dishes. Isn't it great to use dishes that have been a part of many family meals through your lifetime? The dishes evoke memories and a connection to the past.

Hey! That looks exactly like the kitchen from my first apartment, except I think mine was smaller! I too have wonderful memories of both of my grandmothers' kitchens, they were always such happy places. I own the same Jewel Tea ball jug, in fact I have a collection of 20 ball jugs, they were all made by the Hall China Company in the 1930's to late 1950's. Great post Wendy!

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About Me

My name is Wendy. About twenty years ago, I helped my mother research the Jolletts. Since retiring from teaching, I have expanded my research which I share here. When I’m not looking for my own family, I index for FamilySearch and the Greene County Historical Society.
Welcome to Jollett Etc. Please leave a comment to let me know you were here. If you have more information or believe we are related, EMAIL ME at wendymath at cox dot net